Google’s modular smartphone, Project Ara, could go on sale next year for $50

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Google’s modular smartphone, Project Ara, could arrive in early 2015 and cost just $50. For $50 you’d only get a bare-bones Project Ara endoskeleton, of course — you don’t even get a display, I think– but it’s still a very exciting prospect, especially when you factor in the imminent release date. Early 2015 is a lot sooner than any of us were expecting. The utopian concept of having a single phone that you continuously upgrade over a few years, rather than wastefully replace in its entirety, could soon be a reality.

We originally wrote about Project Ara back in October 2013. Back then, it was just an intriguing promise and some exciting concept art. Now, according to a report from Time, Google’s Advanced Technology And Projects (ATAP) group (acquired from Motorola) has reached the working prototype stage. We are led to believe that, in the photo at the top of the story, those components actually combine to create a real, working smartphone. The video below appears to confirm this.

Along with the working prototype, Google’s ATAP is now also talking about pricing — and, interestingly, different form factors. The initial target is to sell a barebones endoskeleton for $50 at convenience stores. This phone will have a WiFi module, an emergency battery… and that’s it. To add more functionality, you would buy more modules (a screen, camera, some NAND flash storage, cellular modem) and slot them in. There will also be three sizes — mini, medium, and jumbo — with “jumbo” equating to roughly phablet sized. While Google intends to open up the modules to third parties, the endoskeletons will always be Google-branded. (They have to make their money somehow.) As it currently stands, ATAP is hoping that the commercialized modules will be 4mm thick, resulting in a phone that is 10mm thick. This isn’t going to be as svelte as the latest iPhone (7.6mm), but it’ll still be thin enough.

Now, the concept of a modular computer isn’t exactly new (have a look inside your desktop PC sometime; almost every part is replaceable) — but building a modular device that’s as small, thin, and light as a smartphone is another beast entirely. Google says that there will be a “manager” app on the smartphone that controls some kind of locking mechanism, which keeps the modules from popping out when the phone is dropped or twisted. The modules on the front are latched on, while the rear modules use electropermanent magnets (permanent magnets that can be switched off with electricity). It seems there are then some (customizable) 3D-printed plastic module enclosures that go on the back, for extra protection. I am still a bit dubious about how rugged these devices will be. (Read: There can only be one: Smartphones are the PCs of the future.)

The original Project Ara concept art. Things have moved on a little now.

The backside of a modular Project Ara phone (concept art I think)

ATAP will hold a series of conferences in April where it will try to convince hardware makers to develop modules for Project Ara smartphones. This is perhaps the most exciting bit about Project Ara: No one, including Google, knows what modules might emerge. A fingerprint scanner, a blood sugar sensor for diabetics, a thermal imaging camera, a microcontroller or FPGA that allows you to directly control your homebrew electronics — really, anything is possible. Project Ara’s leader, Paul Eremenko, jokes that an on-phone incense burner would be possible.

Even in non-wacky use cases, a modular smartphone would be very useful. Imagine if, when your primary battery runs low, you could slide your camera module out and slot in a secondary battery. Alternatively, if you were going on holiday, you might remove the cellular modem and slot in a larger camera, or more flash storage. (Read: The future: Upgradeable smartphones.)

Moving forward, ATAP is workinng hard to hit that $50 price point for the bare-bones endoskeleton. Price isn’t the deciding factor, though — the key will be getting hardware makers on board to produce a variety of different modules, and ensuring that the finished phone is rugged enough. Here’s hoping.

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I wonder if dual CPU will be viable, seems like a great idea for a smart phone….. ok maybe not, but I’d still like to do it.

http://www.mrseb.co.uk/ Sebastian Anthony

Hehe, yeah, I doubt that will be possible on the first generation of these phones. That would be a big software problem.

(also, they say the sockets will be general/universal, but I’m sure some sockets will be specific to certain components, such as RAM and CPU).

frederigoxcz305

My Uncle Gabriel got a stunning blue Dodge Charger SRT8 from
only workin part time on a home pc… hop over to here B­u­z­z­3­2­.­ℂ­o­m

Tom Carrio

They’re universal. They have a data transfer of 10Gbps and at most 2 sockets per slot. Most likely the app that manages the endo slots will detect what’s connected and download necessary information (firmware/updates/drivers) to allow a really smooth experience with up-to-date components. Or something more hardware based.

pelov lov

This would get me to upgrade from my first gen Nexus device. I’m not a phone geek at all, but the notion of a modular smartphone that can be customized with the parts of my choosing is extremely appealing to me; and coming from a PC enthusiast background where every computer I’ve had I’ve built for myself, this is just a natural progression.

Here’s to hoping Google’s Project Ara succeeds. I’m someone who doesn’t need a lot of processing power on a smartphone. But I could use a Moto X-like always on display, loads of storage and awesome battery life, all of which, at least to me, trump having unused high-power cores and sky-high price tags. Though the initial ‘buy in’ stage might be costly once you add up all of the parts, the cost of upgrading should be considerably less as well. This is just an all around win.

Singh1699

Trust me a discount phone like the new alcatels, a moto g or nexus 5 is better.

Tom Carrio

>>Trust me
I have a Nexus 5 and cannot wait for this.

Cold as ice

This would be fantastic!

eonvee375

1CPU, 1WIFI and 6 BATTERY modules for me please ^^

Matey22

No RAM and NAND flash ? :DDD

Heath Parsons

Don’t forget the display and the antenna

ackthbbft

I had always hoped that this would happen for laptops before cellphones. Alas…

The only problem I see with this has to do with the internconnections. If the bus between the various sections is somehow standardized (and extremely fast to accomodate future advancements), and not based on the old circuitboard mentality (which would almost certainly be obsolete as soon as the next new mobile CPU comes out with different pin-outs), then we might be fine.

TeaPartyCitizen

Pin configuration is irrelivant. Modules communicate over standart busses. This first version of the Ara Module Developers’ Kit relies on a prototype implementation of the Ara on-device network using the MIPI UniPro protocol implemented on FPGA and running over an LVDS physical layer. Subsequent versions will soon be built around a much more efficient and higher performance ASIC implementation of UniPro, running over a capacitive M-PHY physical layer.

The lesson is that the busses change as hardware develops and requires different bus standards for speed, expandability, etc.

You probably couldn’t find a PC motherboard being manufactured today that would run from components from 8 or 10 years ago. There’s no reason phones, being digital, will be any different.

And the rate of change is accelerating so we can expect generations of hardware to come faster and faster meaning the busses will need to be updated more often than in the past.

Mahmoud Amandine-Jade

But there will still be a certain form of retro-compatibility, just like you can still use PCI cards on some (albeit few) recent mobos. And that’s something.

If you could use your 1st gen Ara components as long as a legacy PCI card, your device would outlive non-modular smartphones by a long shot.

ciph3ro

Work on Project ARA started in 2011 according to Google/Motorola.

ciph3ro

I knew this was coming when Android first showed up on the scene. That’s why it’s in freaking everything and almost every kind of phone. You just plug in modules and it knows how to use different cameras, diff resolution screens, etc.

I plugged in a mouse and keyboard into my tablet as an experiment and it let me play quake. LOL. Also connected a PS3 controller via BT for emulators.. it’s crazy. We live in some good times.

Amit

Thanks Linux on which android is based. It has all the drivers in kernel.

ephemeris

What would geneology of the cell phone be (or would have been,or yet to be) if ideas of working standard operability,and organization e.g.standards :pcie,ddr,agp :software..api,lynix,windows, . There is plenty of chippers out their waiting to go component considering all the embedded I’ve seen. If form factors were heading to compatability between proprieties. Imagine extra Soc modules. Consising of connectivity options and/or ssd/memory ,cpu /wifi modules.

Not that difficult to imagine. But anybody but google. And if only google,and anybody else . Is imaginable.

Mo Friedrich

You could think this would be a great advantage for the user… But I think as Google starts to put some serious money into this, they must have found a way to earn big time. Imagine modules ranging from 30 to 200 dollars – you’d be tempted to “just buy this one”. Every now and then, you’d buy a new camera, a larger battery, and Google will take your money with a subtle smile, knowing they earn much more now than with pre-built phones switched out every two years.
Every other year, they will release a new endoskeleton – you can further use the old one, but Gen-II-modules won’t run on it.
Yee-Haw, welcome to the future.

Singh1699

Exactly nexus 5 will be cheaper and better.

Mahmoud Amandine-Jade

No. It won’t be better since you won’t be able to swap the components.

Tom Carrio

Or this is just their usual business plan, “use our software and services”, which is all they need to make money.

They run the largest advertisement service on the web. Having you use it is all they want.

They also don’t make ANY money off of modules so that’s off the board. They’re going to be done entirely by third parties much like Android phones already, which they charge no fee for.

This is a long-term product, that’s the best kind of investment they could make. That’s what their money will come from. They make money on information and services, not hardware sales.

Mo Friedrich

But beeing dependent of one single field isn’t healthy and Google knows it. That’s what moonshots are for, and that’s why I believe they are going to sell the licenses for modules as well as own modules, each with a win margin of 40% or so. Plus regularly updated endoskeletons and services with a pricing plan.

Of course you could be right aswell – it will stay interesting :)

Pickybugger

Surely this wouldn’t be feasible. I don’t see how they can create an efficient system, in terms of power and speed that could compete with phones built on a single PCB.

I do like the idea, I just wonder if its really that practical.

TeaPartyCitizen

I believe it is more aimed at people who break their display and don’t want to buy a new phone. Os someone who wants to upgrade to a 20 MP camera or swap out there 3G for a 4G. Stuff like that without having to buy a new phone. It should also allow you to bring your phone from carrier to carrier. Plus it may not only be aimed at phones. You may want to add 3G to your television or laptop. Those things may become modular too. So you can put an old 3G module which you don’t use anymore into your laptop. As I remember project Ara has to do with keeping electronics out of landfills.

Also each module is a peripheral device. Those do not have to be located close to the CPU, only the memory does so a single PCB has no advantage here. And they won’t change the size of the endoskeleton every year because this project is about reusing electronics not throwing them away.

https://plus.google.com/+MattThompsonOnGoogle/ Matt Thompson

I can’t wait to build an ASUS HTC LG Droid One S with Jellybean Ice Cream KitKat. I want mine with a 50MP rear camera, two 8MP front cameras, a 3D screen and a 4K screen to swap in for movies, a 4G radio to swap out with the WiFi radio, and about five batteries.

PaulWiner

This reminds me of PCMCIA cards and PCI slots on your motherboard. Technies will enjoy it. OEMs will enjoy it. But the average person?

Tom Carrio

Except it’s Lego easy..

AJ

That is the same concept what ‘Ahhproject’ did for Samsung mobile about 3 years ago

sexyjon

The most stupid thing I have heard about in a long time. But a good way for Google to waste a lot of money. Will be as popular as modular cars and modular bikes etc. You all remember them, right? Interesting though, they will in a way look like a windows phone with tiles on the screen, except those are made of tiles. As difficult it is for many phone makers to make phones that do not fall apart it will be a lot harder to keep those in one peace. Anyway I hope they launch this thing soon, that means they will not spend too many years and money on this stupid idea.

MiJyn

Wow, look! The totally _utopian_ concept of being able to replace individual components of a computer is going to be a reality!

http://wsofi.com Arun Govind Rao

Just in $50 …!!

Darek

Im gettting a 10000 mah battery stack, a 50MP camera, a 3.6ghz 8 core ulv processor, and a 4k HD screen with onboard aftermarket amp, dac, and a 64gb SSD. Hopefully ill have enough ram on the jumbo breadboard to slot in a couple of radios… so you know… i can call it a phone.

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